E-books have a number of advantages over traditional paper books such as cost effectiveness, easy access to information, portability, high capacity, safe storage and adjustable fonts, provision to add comments and notes to a page and save time on traveling to libraries. Digital books are also very easy to sell and distribute.
According to the U.S. Publishing Industry’s Annual Survey 2015, eBooks experienced 3.8% revenue growth to an estimated $3.37 billion dollars in 2014. The report highlights that over 510 million eBooks were sold in 2014.
Self-publishing e-books has become increasingly easier. Both new and established authors are increasingly self-publishing their books to avoid the hassles and difficulties associated with traditional printing. There are several platforms that writers may use to self publish their eBooks. For those writers who require assistance, eBook conversion services can help to get their books digitally ready. These services provided by established firms include cover design, digital product solutions, book design, book scanning and distribution.
Choosing the right platform can be a challenging decision. Most popular eBook publishers include:
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP):
e-Books self published with this Kindle platform appears in Amazon bookstores, which is the leading global bookseller of both digital and printed versions. This helps writers reach a large audience and instantly start selling their books. With this selling option, you no longer need big publishing efforts to get your works out into the world. KDP Select is a new option that features a $6 million annual fund dedicated to independent authors and publishers. In addition, by enrolling in KDP Select program, authors can
- Earn higher royalties
- Maximize the sales potential of their books
- Reach new audience
Barnes and Noble’s Nook:
This self-publishing platform from Barnes and Nobles is compatible with formats like EPUB and PDF and the e-books are sold through the Nook bookstore. NOOK Press lets you write, edit, and format your manuscript in one place. You can also collaborate with friends and editors directly in NOOK Press. Multiple merchandising opportunities are provided to increase visibility.
Apple’s iBooks (iPad):
This user-friendly eBook publishing platform is ideal for writers/editors who are less tech-savvy. Available free on the Mac App Store, this platform enable users to develop visually rich books with interactive diagrams, animations, shapes, tables, maps, 3D objects, video and photo galleries that is perfect for the iPad. Authors can even import Adobe InDesign and ePub files and edit them to perfection in iBooks.
Kobo Writing Life (KWL):
Kobo Writing Life makes publishing easy in five easy steps. This platform will automatically reformat your Word, OpenOffice, or Mobi files into ePubs for free. Its partnership with the American Booksellers Association also helps authors enhance discoverability.
